A Lion and His Cub
by Lady Celestial Star
Summary: Fifth Year: Harry fathers a child with Grace, a muggle girl he believed was his soul mate. Now she's gone and he's left to raise the babe on his own. However, Dumbledore, Mrs. Weasley and a few others don't believe that the baby is Harry's, but a plant sent by Lord Voldemort. Who is right, Dumbledore or Harry, and will they be able to deal and accept the truth? Occasional OOC.
1. Chapter 1

Summary:

**5****th**** year. Harry fathers a child, a child that no one really knew about. Dumbledore and Mrs. Wesley don't believe that the child is really Harry's but a trap set by Voldemort. Who is right, Harry...or Dumbledore. **

**There is going to be some slight bashing of almost every character in the books. The only one that will be exempt is Hagrid and the twins and maybe a few others and Harry of course.**

**Also, this is the winner of poll that was on my profile page, or I should at least say it comes in number one. All I do is remove the one in the lead and then post it's first chapter either on here or on AO3, allowing the other votes that people worked and voted so hard for to still remain. **

It was a gray dreary day, large engraved stones holding their silent vigils. But there was not just tombstones standing there today, but a small gathering of people, huddled around three mounds of earth.

The people were all dressed in black, save one man wearing white, speaking somber words and reading from a leather bound, well kept book. Towards the front of the crowd, near long wooden boxes besides the mounds of earth, there was a bespectacled young man holding a small tiny infant. He was wearing a long black cloak, and a faded black shirt and pants underneath. He looked on, his gaze upon the smaller casket but it was a far away look that seemed to haunt his eyes.

The baby, not knowing that this was a somber occasion, gurgled happily and reached up to touch the glasses glinting above her. She herself was also wearing a black dress, with gentle white lace lining it, her eyes seemed to glint with the same brilliant tint of onxy that the one holding her shared and that wasn't the only thing that they shared, their eyes.

They were both a brilliant shade of emerald, one shining and twinkling with unbridled joy, the other slightly clouded with grief.

As the pastor before them finished his sermon and the others passed by him, placing flowers on each of the silent coffins, they patted the boy's shoulder and whispered their condolences. A few made to take the baby into their arms, but the boy pulled back, holding onto the babe tighter. The one that reached out, pulled back as well, and then slowly walked away.

The priest came over and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"We were prepared for the loss, but it was too soon, and to lose her parents as well...I'm very sorry, Harry." said the priest solemnly.

The raven haired youth nodded.

"Now you face a brand new trial, you need to raise this little one. But you don't need to do it alone, you may have lost the support of Grace's family, but your family will be able to..."

"I don't have a family, she's all I have, and I'm all she has." said Harry softly as he brushed a small fringe of hair off to the side of the little girl's forehead.

"What about her godfather?" asked the priest with a frown.

"He did nothing to prevent this." said Harry with a growl. "But perhaps there is someone I can ask for some advice."

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><p>"What do you mean Harry's gone?" asked Sirius slamming a fist down at the table in Grimmauld Place.<p>

It was a few days before Harry's fifteenth birthday, Sirius wanted to bring Harry to Headquarters and celebrate the first birthday he was able to since Harry was a baby. He had missed out on so much and wanted to celebrate with his godson properly.

"He wasn't there." said Remus soothingly. "We spread out and tried to find him, I'm just here to report it to Dumbledore." he nodded to the elderly man sitting at the table. "I'm going out to try and find him."

He took a piece of chicken off the plate and turned around and left the room, ripping it apart with his teeth, agitation evident on his face. Sirius sat down in his chair and fidgeted nervously.

"I...I'm sure he's fine." said Bill nervously.

"I don't need assurances, I need Harry _here_." said Sirius shortly. "I need to know that he's safe and that he's not...not..."

Dumbledore's eyes didn't leave his hands, Arabella told him that he was there this morning, and this afternoon he had left with a small bundle and wearing his wizard robes..where on earth could he have gone? Did he leave by his free will, or was he coerced into leaving Privet Drive?

He had received word from Harry towards the beginning of summer, asking to look into the protection of a girl named Grace, but there was so much to do in protecting the rest of the Britain's wizarding world that he didn't have the time to find her and place the requested protection. He told the boy, weeks later, to have her come to Hogwarts if he was worried, but he heard nothing further.

Suddenly, a silver lynx appeared in the middle of the room, directly over the pot full of stew that was to be their dinner.

"That's Kingsley!" said Mr. Weasley.

"_Found Harry, he was at the Burrow, I'll bring them to Headquarters." _

"Thank Mer...hang on...did he say '_them_'?" said Mrs. Weasley. "Who else could be with him?"

"I believe, that it might be a person named Grace." said Dumbledore thoughtfully.

"Who's Grace?" asked Sirius.

"Someone who wishes asylum at Hogwarts." said Dumbledore. "However, it may be beneficial to send her onto Hogwarts. Having more than the necessary ears here would not be wise..."

Soon, the sound of the front door opening and shutting echoed down in the kitchen, alerting them to someone who had just arrived. "Is he here? Is he..." said Sirius standing up quickly.

"We will find out in a moment." said Dumbledore with a warm smile. From where they sat, they heard another door open and shut from the floor above and then the front door opened once more. Kingsley and Remus then came into the kitchen, Kingsley's face looked slightly paler, while Remus looked confused.

"Wh-Where's Harry?" asked Sirius looking behind Kingsley and Remus, hoping to see the familiar messy mop of hair of his godson, but he didn't see any sign of him.

"He's...he's in the parlor." said Kingsley wiping his hand down his face slowly. "He'll be down in just a few moments."

"Is he alright?" said Mrs. Weasley worriedly.

"He's fine...and...well...maybe you'd better wait and see for yourself." said Kingsley.

"Has he been injured at all?" asked Dumbledore, slightly rising from his seat.

"No." said Kingsley. "He's...well..."

The door opened once again, a young raven haired youth came in backwards, easing the door with his foot.

"Harry!" said Sirius. "You're alright!"

"Shh!" said Harry quickly in a hushed voice. "You'll wake her."

"My mother can't hear all the way down here." said Sirius dismissing the notion.

"Not your mother..." he turned around, in his arms was a small baby girl, she was wrapped in a warm pink blanket and had a sparkling green bow in her thin black hair. "her."

The people in the kitchen, Dumbledore, Sirius, Bill, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley all stared at the bundle.

"Where...Where did that baby come from?" said Sirius, looking as if the baby had just become a bird in Harry's arms.

"Oh the poor thing, here, Harry...I'll take her." said Mrs. Weasley coming over with her arms outstretched.

"We're fine." said Harry, taking a step backwards. "She just needs her bottle."

Dumbledore looked down at the infant in the boy's arm, confusion painted across his face. Where did this infant come from, how did Harry come into possession of her? A thought then crossed his mind...a terrible thought. Harry was a gentle, selfless soul...could Voldemort be so...low that he would use an infant to get close to the boy? Of course he was.

"Harry..." said Dumbledore looking down at his fingers, not willing to risk to look into Harry's eyes.

Harry turned to look at the Headmaster, but was slightly hurt when he wouldn't look at him. The old man keep his gaze firmly at his hands and would not raise them.

"Yes sir?"

"Where did this child come from?" asked Dumbledore.

"She's mine sir." said Harry simply, his voice cold.

"Potter...a child is not a pet." said Snape waspishly as he glared at the boy, but unlike the Headmaster as he avoided Harry's eyes, Snape avoided looking at the babe.

"That's not what I meant sir," said Harry with a roll of his eyes.

"Then what _do_ you mean?" asked Bill.

"She's my daughter." said Harry.

The room became silent.

"Wh-What?" said Sirius.

"You're only fifteen!" shrieked Mrs. Weasley staring at the boy in shock.

Unfortunately, due to Mrs. Weasley's loud voice, it awoke the baby that was sleeping in Harry's arms. The poor thing began to cry loudly.

"Shh...shh...it's okay..." said Harry to the little baby in his arms as he rocked and bounced her gently. Harry tried to shush the babe in his arms, and looked over to the adults in the room sternly. "Can you talk a little softer?"

"Harry...where did that baby come from?" said Mr. Weasley weakly, talking in the hushed tone that complied with Harry's wish.

"With seven kids I thought you'd figure that out by now." said Harry with a chuckle.

"_Harry_!" said Sirius, though the sides of his mouth were twitching, even Mr. Weasley chuckled, with a faint blush. Bill turned a slight greenish tint as he avoided his parent's eyes.

"Harry...you can't be...I mean...you aren't...well..." said Bill.

"Before you ask, take a good look at her." said Harry. He shifted the baby in his hands arms and held her up to show her to the people in the room.

He held her up a little higher, and she gurgled happily as she looked around the room. She had startling green eyes, carbon copy of the young man that held her.

"Green eyes don't mean that she's your..." said Mr. Weasley.

"Well, if there's a spell to test paternity, start casting, until then...she's my daughter." said Harry coldly.

"Harry...do you know who the mother even is?" said Bill quickly.

Harry stared firmly at the oldest Weasley son. "Of course."

"Well that's a relief." said Bill with a sigh.

"My wife." said Harry bluntly.

The room was once again drenched in silence.

"Harry...you're fifteen." repeated Mr. Weasley in a deadpanned voice.

"And so was Grace." said Harry holding the baby close. "And she always will be." he added softly as he held the baby closer.

Dumbledore's eyes slowly rose, now it was looking at the baby intently.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Dumbledore his eyes narrowing.

Harry turned to look at the infant in his arms, his eyes moist."Grace is dead, Death Eaters found her while I had her for the day. She was having a doctor's appointment, over two hundred people died in that hospital." said Harry. "Not one of them knew what really hit them."

"What?" said Kingsley horror struck. "We didn't hear anything about that."

"Big explosion at a Lord Nelson Hospital? You really didn't look into that?" said Harry coldly.

Mrs. Weasley looked horrified, Dumbledore looked to the side, regret in his eyes.

"You want the whole story?" asked Harry.

"Yes, here Harry, sit by me." said Sirius patting a seat beside him. Harry eased into the chair with the infant in his arms. The tiny infant reached up to grab his glasses and managed to slide them off and wave them in her hands.

"You little scamp." said Harry with a smile as he tried to retrieve his glasses. As he tried to get the glasses back he began to tell them what had happened to bring about the little girl's presence.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the story! Merry Christmas! <strong>

**The chapters for this story and You Cannot Save the World will be updated on Fridays, but those two will alternate that way I can have some time to myself and not drive myself completely insane.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Man, I've got this cold and it's kicking my ass! Had less than four hours of sleep under my belt and had to go to work. Then I finally bought some knock-off Nyquil, and at approximately two in the morning when I got up to blow my nose, I felt so loopy that I just collapsed sideways on the bed and crawled awkwardly under the covers. Man...normally a cold I just suck it up and go with it, but this time around, I'm miserable as hell.**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

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><p>"I've known Grace for years. She...she was the only friend I had in the muggle world, before I knew about Hogwarts. Amazingly, she was the only person Dudley couldn't bully around out of everyone else in our class. She was tough, nothing could beat her, she was the best goalie in our class for football, smartest girl in our class...all around best of everything, looks, brains..." said Harry.<p>

"Sounds like the perfect girl." said Sirius with a smile.

"Yeah, she was perfect, in everything but health." said Harry.

"What do you mean?" asked Snape, curious despite himself.

"She was sick, from the day she was born. Despite how tough and agile as she was...she got sick easily. ..The doctors said she wasn't going to be able to live past eighteen, let alone twenty." said Harry as he smoothed down the girl's hair. "And she didn't tell me all this until after I got my Hogwarts letter. She was the only person I told my secret to, and outside her family, I was the only one she told hers to. She told me she was dying, that she had at the most nine years left to live. It crushed me, I didn't want to leave her at that point."

"She was your best friend." said Bill nodding.

"We were engaged." said Harry.

"How can a..." said Tonks.

"In our opinions, we were a lot more...grown up then the rest of our classmates. Also, we knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with each other, it was feeling the both of us had. We couldn't picture ourselves growing old with anyone else. So...Grace braided us a pair of rings out of gold thread and we...promised we wouldn't be with anyone else, despite being so far apart." said Harry.

"We exchanged letters for two years and the summer when you escaped the last time," he looked at Sirius. "she told me she wanted to get married and have a kid."

"Her parents couldn't have agreed that." said Mrs. Weasley.

"Actually, they were happy for us." said Harry.

"How could they be happy?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"I never asked them why, there were more pressing matters to deal with than _their _views. We got married before you came to get me for the Quidditch Cup by her pastor, who was well aware of the situation, and well...she had Mercy while I was in school."

"Mercy?" asked Sirius as he took the little girl's hand by two fingers.

"Mercy Angel Potter, Grace came up with the name." said Harry, kissing the baby's head tenderly. "They sent me so many pictures..."

"But how could they be...how could they let the two of you..." said Mr. Weasley.

"Grace wanted a child, she wanted to know what it was like to have a baby of her own, we didn't tell her parents till after wards, so their preferences in the matter were a little late." said Harry.

Mrs. Weasley looked furious, but Harry stopped her.

"She was _dying, _Mrs. Weasley and I loved her..." said Harry. "And besides, they were only mad for about an hour. And another day after Mercy was born, Grace was wiped completely out and we almost lost her then. But a week after we...got together for the first time...Grace's parents got a hold of their pastor, told him what was going on and we had a private little ceremony."

"Harry...you're too young..." said Dumbledore carefully.

"I know more than most people in this room." said Harry firmly.

"Don't spew nonsense Potter." spat Snape.

"Fine...let me spell it out for you, whether you believe it or not is really no concern of mine, and really I don't give a damn. Till Grace came along, I've lived in a house that punched, kicked, starved, whipped, and pretty much enslaved me for years. Dudley, himself made sure that I didn't have any friends aside from Grace, he scared all the kids away from me and showed them what would happen if they came near me. She was the only one that ever stood up for me, the only one that really loved me, that really did all she could to help me." said Harry firmly.

"Till now." said Sirius with a smile.

"That hasn't come around yet." said Harry looking down at Mercy.

Sirius looked hurt. "What do you mean?" said Sirius.

"I'm still being sent to the Dursleys aren't I?" said Harry sternly.

"It's for your protection." said Dumbledore wearily.

"Don't you _dare _talk to me about protection!" hissed Harry.

The room was silent once again.

"I asked you to protect Grace, and if I didn't have Mercy with me at the park...I would have lost them both." said Harry darkly.

Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly in shock.

"If you had just done me that one favor, the only _fucking _favor I've ever asked, ("_Harry!"_gasped Mrs. Weasley) Grace would have been able to enjoy the last few years of her life, watching Mercy grow up a little. But no, you couldn't be bothered...you had to just let them get to her and kill her, and her parents...not even they could see Mercy grow up!"

"I...I didn't know." said Dumbledore weakly.

"Bullshit...I told you all about her, I wrote to you that Grace had a baby, I didn't tell you it was my baby cause I didn't need you taking Mercy from me." spat Harry. "Besides, I _doubt_ that you would have _rushed _to ensure her safety if I had given you anymore information. I _pleaded _with you, and you did nothing. Oh and some of you aren't absolved of this either. I sent a letter to a good number of you, to take her to Hogwarts..." he added looking around the room.

"But you all were too busy..." said Harry.

"We were protecting the Magical world..." said Snape, though it was a much gentler tone than what he normally spoke to the boy in. He could understand where the boy was coming from...he knew it all too well.

"And yet, you couldn't protect or bring one person to safety? You couldn't take a half hour out of your day to help me out...to do me a favor...I think you all _fucking owe_ me a favor."

"Not expelling you has been a favor in itself." drawled Snape.

"My family was sacrificed to protect this pathetic world, and every stupid bastard in it. I went through a veritable hell on earth, just so I wouldn't inconvenience Dumbledore with extra protection. I kept the stone away from Voldemort in my first year..."

"It didn't need..." said Snape.

"All he would have had to do was break the goddam mirror, the stone would have come out!" said Harry.

"How do you know?" spat Snape.

"I tested it! I put something in it, and when I broke it, it came out!" said Harry. "And then, I got rid of the basilisk under the school!"

"The what?" said Sirius and Remus.

"I'll tell you later..." said Harry.

"If you had gotten a teacher..." said Mr. Weasley softly.

"They'd need me to go down and open the doors." said Harry. "Then, had to go through the idiotic notion of having Dementors all over the place, they attacked me at least three times...and then last last year...I'm entitled to something...I'm entitled to ask for four people to be protected...but apparently...according to the Great and Mighty Dumbledore, I haven't suffered enough, and I need to lose a few more people."

Dumbledore turned his head to the side. "I...I'm sorry... I didn't realize..."

"Well, you're realizing that now aren't you? And you know what...I'm really...regretting my choice." said Harry with disgust as Mercy sucked on her thumb.

"Your choice?" said Dumbledore looking to the side.

"Mercy has a long list of honorary aunts and uncles and grandparents...I named you as the godfather." said Harry darkly.

Dumbledore looked up quickly, his eyes met Harry's and there was no flash of red that he had been dreading, but just anger...pure...Lily Evans anger bursting forth from his eyes. He could feel his heart constrict with pain and guilt.

"Harry...we're just concerned..." said Mrs. Weasley.

"I could have used the concern a month ago." said Harry. "What are you concerned about now?"

"That...Mercy could just be a plant by Voldemort." said Dumbledore, working hard trying to choose his words carefully. "As selfless as you are, dear boy...it's not unlikely that you would take it upon yourself to raise the child." He was trying to gain back the thought process he had before Harry's rant.

"She was born before Voldemort came back." said Harry dully. "Anything else you're worried about?"

"Harry..." said Dumbledore warily.

"You don't need to worry about a thing if you're concerned she's a spying on you, at this point I don't care what you have planned, what you're doing to defend against him, I've got my hands full here." said Harry as he rocked Mercy back and forth.

"Perhaps it would be better if you let someone else take care of her for now." said Dumbledore.

Harry glared at the old man. "Why?"

"Just for little while..." said Dumbledore. "Till we can verify..."

"Take her away from me, and you'll regret it." snarled Harry.

"Molly, if you would." said Dumbledore standing up. "Harry, you're coming with me to Hogwarts, you'll be safer there."

Sirius looked between Dumbledore and Harry...he didn't quite know what to make of the situation. This baby had strong family resemblance with his cub...and she seemed like a normal little baby, at least that's how Harry acted when he was a tiny infant. He watched as Mrs. Weasley moved slowly over to Harry, who seemed to slightly tighten his hold on the baby and watch every move that Mrs. Weasley made.

Snape looked at Potter, he was tense, he didn't want to surrender the child to anyone, not even the mother of his best friend...though he had never been a father, he could see justification in the distrust the boy was showing. The Magical world allowed him to have a horrendous childhood, and robbed him of the only girl he had ever loved.

All that was left, was this child, and they wanted to take her away from him as well. The boy was becoming riddled with distrust towards everything around him, that could keep him alive, but also turn him mad...if Moody himself wasn't the perfect model for that.

"I hope you're prepared for what's going to happen." said Harry with a stern voice.

"What's that?" said Mrs. Weasley pulling back slightly.

"He'll find out if he wants to go through with this..." said Harry scowling over to Dumbledore. He looked up to Mrs. Weasley and spoke darkly. "Don't let him talk you into giving her to anyone else, if you do...I'll never forgive you."

Mrs. Weasley looked as if she were ready to start crying, but took the baby into her arms, and immediately, once she saw a new person and not the person she recognized, she began to cry.

Sirius looked at Harry in confusion. "You're giving her up rather quickly..."

"If I fight, she's going to get hurt." said Harry. "Her bag is in the parlor, don't give her anything with blueberries, she's allergic, her formula is in the bag, she ate about an hour ago. She has disposable diapers in there as well, here..this is what they use in the muggle world to pay for stuff." said Harry pulling out a small plastic card. "..ah...best let Professor Lupin or Hermione handle that. I don't think I'll be gone longer than a week or so."

"Harry..." said Dumbledore firmly.

"If you really care, I'm not going to be gone for longer than a week." He walked over to the screaming child and kissed her forehead, the baby stopped and hiccuped sadly, reaching for the teen's face.

"Sorry Munchkin, Daddy's gotta go away for a little while." said Harry with a sad smile. "But Mrs. Weasley is going to take good care of you, and you'll get to play with grandpa all the time now."

"Grandpa?" said Sirius. "Who is _Grandpa_?" He looked at Mr. Weasley.

"You." said Harry giving Sirius a smirk and his baby one last kiss before Dumbledore led him out of the room.

Mrs. Weasley looked at Sirius, a hint of jealously in her eyes, Sirius however was in shock.

Sirius looked down at the baby that was crying loudly once again, he'd have to do a much better job of guardian than what he did with Harry.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading please review!<strong>

**Now remember, the next update will happen in two weeks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the short chapter, I was under the weather and doing A LOT of things that really had to be done before a certain date. Not homework or something like that, but something that had to do with living. **

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

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><p>The next few days were harsh for everyone at Grimmauld Place, it wasn't that the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort had uncovered their headquarters, it wasn't that the Ministry had found out about Tonks and Kingsley's allegiance to them...no, none of that happened. The cause of all the discomfort was the fact that there was a tiny infant that was clearly and very audibly unhappy.<p>

The only time that Mercy would stop crying would be when she exhausted herself from all the tears and unyielding crying. Mrs. Weasley would try and walk around with her in her arms and try and calm her down, until she would begin to get a headache and pass her onto her husband, oldest son, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Sirius or Remus. However, no one knew the (figuratively) magical way to silence her and make her happy.

"C'mon sweetheart, c'mon...please...please stop crying." said Sirius bouncing her in his arms carefully. He would even turn into Padfoot and try and lick her face to get her to giggle.

But the infant was not going to stop crying, she'd whimper even while she took food. However, only Tonks could feed her and that was when she changed her appearance to look a little bit more like Harry to coax her to open her mouth. But Mercy was very clever for a babe of less than a year old, after the first time she was fed, she knew it wasn't him...but she still only allowed Tonks to feed her in Harry's form.

After many, _many _days of no sleep, and constant headaches, Mrs. Weasley and Remus ended up decided to take Mercy to the Healer's shop in Diagon Alley. They could not and were unable to trust the Healers at St. Mungoes, they knew this small shop's healer was on their side.

They carried the small infant into the Healer shop, the baby still wailing loudly and attracting the attention of several people on the street.

"Come on, we don't want to be caught in the streets with her." said Remus ushering Mrs. Weasley forward and pulling the blanket a little higher up to hide the infant.

They entered a large stone faced shop further along past Gringotts, there was a large bubbling cauldron in the front store window full of gold liquid. A small sign in front of the cauldron read: _New cure for Dragon Pox available, see Healer inside for details._ Inside one of the Healers looked up from behind the desk and smiled. He was a thin old man with a short salt and pepper beard with short hair on his head to match. He had violet eyes behind a pair of square framed glasses.

"Hello, Molly, Remus." he said loudly over the screams of the infant. "What can I do for you?"

"Hey, Jerome." said Remus shaking the Healer's hand. "Listen, can you give this baby a check up? Make sure she's alright."

"No problem." said Jerome taking his wand out and waving it carefully over the baby. "What's the story with the child. She's not a Weasley, I can guarantee that." he added with a smile at the crop of black hair. "And no one in your family had this color of hair, not anyone _I've _ever delivered anyway...this..."

The baby then opened her eyes and looked up at the Healer, she stopped crying for a moment and gazed fixedly at the violet eyes looking down at her.

The healer stared down at the child. He then looked up at Mrs. Weasley, and Remus. "I've delivered two boys that looked just like this, only one with this color eyes...Where's Harry?"

"He's at Hogwarts." said Remus.

"And who's this little baby?" said the Healer Jerome. "Who's her parents?"

"...Harry..." said Remus.

Jerome looked shocked, but then looked down at the baby his eyes watering. "I'm not even going to ask...but...tell me...tell me he's a good father."

"He is." said Mrs. Weasley and Remus. They couldn't say no, for the length of time they saw him interact with her, he was a good father.

"Why do you have the baby then?"

"Dumbledore took Harry to Hogwarts to separate the two of them." said Mrs. Weasley quietly. Remus looked around to make sure that no one was close enough to listen. The only one that was close to them was a female Healer filling phials clear across the room.

"Well, one cannot say that Dumbledore's ideas are infallible." muttered Jerome. "He's made some pretty big mistakes in his life."

Remus and Mrs. Weasley looked at each other. "So what does _he_ think is wrong with the child?" asked Jerome.

"Well, she just won't stop crying, that's what's worrying us right now. But Dumbledore thinks...and so does some other people...that Mercy here...is something that...You Know Who might have conjured up to get close to Harry." said Remus.

The Healer looked at the pair of them with the baby in his arms, she was beginning to sniffle and cry again.

"Well, I can tell you right off, that if she _is_ a product of dark magic, it's nothing I've ever seen or heard of. She's not an inferi, she's got a heartbeat and they don't cry like this." He waved his wand over the baby and a scroll blossomed forth from the tip of his wand. He took the scroll as he rocked the baby back and forth.

_Name: Mercy Angel Potter_

_Age: Three months (Magical age acceleration already in place, has mental and physical dexterity of one year old)_

_Mother: Grace Ariana Cross (Muggle)_

_Father: Harold James Potter (Wizard)_

_Magical Status: Witch_

_Previous Ailment: None_

_Current Ailment: None_

_Allergies: Blueberries_

_Current Distress: Yes_

_Cause of Distress: Lack of Paternal Presence_

_Solution: Return of Paternal Presence. _

The Healer looked at the scroll and then looked at them with a smile.

"Well, she's his daughter, no doubt about that, I could even whip up Miss Cross' family history if he really wants. And to fix Mercy..." said Jerome.

"Yes?" said Mrs. Weasley and Remus eagerly.

"The only way to stop her crying...is to bring her daddy back." said Jerome. "Or her mother, where is she?"

"She...she passed away." said Remus. "She and her parents."

"And Dumbledore allowed this little baby to be separated from her only relative? That's charming. Well, I'll sign a note that says that if she's not reunited with her father, she can suffer from some very traumatic psychological effects, that guilt trip should pull him back to sense." said Jerome. "How's Harry faring, from being separated from his daughter?"

"Last thing I heard from Minerva, was that he was refusing to eat, drink and sleep...Poppy's been forced to put nutrient, sleeping, and water straight into him." said Remus sadly. "She says she can't keep up with it forever, he's making his body, and core fight back. He's sure stubborn..." he added with a rue smile.

"How long has she been doing that?'

"Five days now." said Remus.

"She's got two days left to do that. After that, he's going to crash." said Jerome. "And it won't just be a soft crash, it will be a very hard...very devastating crash." he handed the crying child back into Remus' arms.

"Let's go to Hogwarts, reunite this little baby with her father, and convince Dumbledore to fix the mess that he is making." said Jerome. "Before he does some permanent damage."

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><p>Harry stood beside the window of the tower that Dumbledore had given him, (also had locked him in to prevent him from running from Hogwarts and back to Grimmauld Place, he had done that first day) and gazed out onto the grounds of Hogwarts.<p>

Dumbledore had continued to visit him, bringing him meals, treats, and pots of tea. All Dumbledore wanted to do was talk to the boy, but Harry wouldn't speak, he wouldn't even look at Dumbledore when the man would enter the room. He would either sit on the window seat, or in front of the fire and stare at the flames, completely silent and rebelling against the man.

From all the way up to the tower, Harry could see three people making their way with a small bundle in one of their arms. He recognized Remus, and Mrs. Weasley. Could the bundle in their arms be...could it be Mercy? The last figure, he didn't know nor recognize the man.

He turned to look at the door expectantly, Dumbledore was either sure to come in and tell him stay here, or he was going to let him out. Either way, he was going to be with his daughter, come hell or high water. He regretted putting her in the hands of another, but if he were to fight, Dumbledore would only remove her by force and she'd get hurt. The only thing that was in his favor, was that he was leaving Mercy in Sirius' hands. He wouldn't let Dumbledore take her.

He sat beside the window and waited, for anything.

It was an hour later, when Dumbledore, Remus, Mrs. Weasley and Healer Jerome came into the room, with Mercy in Mrs. Weasley's arms. Harry's appearance made Remus and Mrs. Weasley wince slightly.

Harry had dark circles under his eyes, and his face was pinched slightly. His hair was scraggier than normal, and his skin looked pale. It wasn't Madam Pomfrey just worrying needlessly, he had gone through days of no food or water passing his lips, as a form of protest against Dumbledore. Mercy however didn't mind his appearance, but reached out her arms to grab at her father.

"Hey there shortcake." said Harry walking over to Mercy and picking her up into his arms. She stopped crying and began to laugh happily as she placed her small fingers on his nose.

"Were you a good girl?" said Harry with a smile as he rocked her back and forth.

"She was a little angel..." said Remus lying.

"A very sad and loud angel." said Jerome with a smirk.

"Who's this?" asked Harry looking at the man before him.

"This is Jerome O'Conner, he's a Healer...he looked at Mercy for us." said Mrs. Wealsey.

Harry gripped Mercy closer to his chest. "Is she alright? What happened?"

"She was just a little upset about this whole ordeal, being separated from her Poppa." said Jerome with a smile. "She should be just fine now."

"That's a relief." said Harry with a smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that Mercy was suffering so..." said Dumbledore humbly.

"She wasn't the only one." muttered Harry.

"I am sorry..." repeated Dumbledore, speaking sincerely. "I..."

"I suggest that you don't do this again." said Jerome sternly. "I've told you time and time again that meddling where you ought not to meddle will only hurt people, despite your good intentions."

"You've got a lot to make up for." said Harry striding out of the room. He didn't look at anyone as he left, just focusing on the little bundle in his arms. "You all do."

They watched as he walked away and down to the Great Hall.

"You know, I wouldn't blame the boy if he didn't let any of you watch that little muffin." said Jerome as he smirked. "From what I've heard in rumors, he's got some lingering trust issues, doing this won't help at all."

* * *

><p>"<em>My lord." said a masked figure as they knelt before the seated Dark Lord Voldemort. <em>

"_What is it?" _

"_I just received some very interesting information." said the Death Eater with a satisfied smile. _

"_I will be the judge of that. What is it?" asked Voldemort in a icy tone. _

"_Potter...has a baby girl...a daughter." said the Death Eater. _

_Voldemort sat in slight shock, and then a venomous smile crept across his face. _

"_I will admit, that _is _very interesting."_

**Thanks for reading! **

**Hmm...question of the chapter...let's see...IF YOU'VE SEEN ANY..._What is your favorite Don Bluth film?_**

**My personal favorite...God...I don't have one that stands out. There's American Tale but The Secret of NIMH will always be the top pick!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Man, I've had a very interesting work week and a lot of other things that needed (and still do) need my undivided attention. **

**I don't own Harry Potter. **

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><p>Harry and Mercy sat at the dinner table together, Harry had a small spoonful of yellow colored baby food, coaxing it into Mercy's mouth.<p>

"There's a good girl, you like bananas don't you?" cooed Harry as Mercy took the food off the spoon and eating it happily.

"That aint bananas." said Ron looking at the mush on the spoon.

"You should see the peas." said Harry with a smirk.

"Harry..." said Hermione looking worriedly at Mercy.

"Yeah?" asked Harry.

"Are you going to leave Mercy here..." said Hermione.

"No." said Mrs. Weasley, Remus, and Sirius together.

Harry looked between the three of them. "Something wrong?"

"She wasn't happy when you had to leave her behind." said Sirius with an embarrassed smile. "She screamed bloody murder all the time."

"Wow...really?" said Harry looking down at Mercy, "You gave them a taste of what it's like to be daddy...didn't you shortcake?"

Mercy gurgled happily.

"What?" said Ron. "She doesn't cry for you!"

"The hell she doesn't! When she gets fussy...oh man...I just want to cry along with her." said Harry. The baby in the high chair began giggling and reaching for the spoon. "Yeah, that's right, I'm talking about you." he added with a smile as he tapped a few spoonfuls of banana onto her tiny plate, allowing her to play and eat at her own pace.

"When she was born, I remember reading that only Grace's grandfather could get her to eat if Grace wasn't there. Mercy would tug on his beard and at eat at the same time." said Harry. "It took a while for her to eat for me." said Harry.

"So...would she have calmed down after a while?" said Fred.

"How should I know? This is my first kid." said Harry.

"So is she coming to Hogwarts with us?" asked Ron.

"Well, if Dumbledore says she's not allowed, I'm not going." said Harry.

"But Harry...you have to, you need your education." scolded Hermione.

"And Mercy needs her parent more. I don't need to work, I have more than enough money to last me the rest of my and Mercy's life and beyond. As for Voldemort...he's not _my_ problem to fix." said Harry firmly.

The room went silent.

"Dumbledore got the world in this mess." said Harry. "He can get the world out."

"But Harry...You-Know-Who killed your parents...you should..." said Hermione softly.

"I should what? Want revenge? Look what revenge almost cost Sirius...it cost him twelve plus years in Azkaban. Let the adults take care of it..." said Harry.

"But..." said Hermione stammering. "Even Grace..."

"Voldemort got a hold of Grace because Dumbledore couldn't be bothered with protecting her." said Harry sternly.

The rest of the room looked uncomfortable.

"I'm done sacrificing my family for others, they come first now, and if no one likes it, then forget you." said Harry wiping the yellow gunk off his shirt after Mercy had thrown it at him.

Sirius pulled Harry over to him. "Self-preservation at last." said Sirius with a smile.

Harry looked up at his godfather and began to snicker.

"What's so funny?" asked Sirius.

"Mercy's got quite an arm on her, she managed to nail you in the hair with banana mush." said Harry with a gleeful smile.

* * *

><p>Days later but just before the summer holidays were over and done with, Harry had planned out a day of shopping before the school started. However, with as protective as the adults were being about him, he knew he wouldn't be able to go, alone that is.<p>

"Hey Professor Lupin?" asked Harry.

"Hmm?" said Lupin taking a sip of coffee.

"Would you be willing to take Mercy and I shopping for clothes...she's going to need some to grow into while we're at school."

Remus looked at Harry, then smiled: "Sure, why not, as long as we aren't too far, and we'll need more than just me going with you."

"We'll take whoever, but I hope they aren't in a rush." said Harry. "It's been a while since Mercy's been outside."

"Can we go?" asked Ron.

Mrs. Weasley looked at her children worriedly.

"We're just going to muggle baby stores, you'd all be bored." said Harry. "And maybe a fabric store."

"What do you want in a fabric store?" asked Hermione.

Harry only smiled.

Remus, Harry, Mercy, Tonks and Mr. Weasley walked around in the business district, stopping in at different stores finding different things for Mercy to use while in school. Mr. Weasley would lean over to Harry a few times and whisper advice on what to get and what could just be renewed with magic at school.

Harry picked out several different outfits for Mercy, some she could wear now, and some she would grow into. He picked up plenty of toys for her to play with and even a few storybooks to read to her at night.

Dumbledore had granted her permission to come and even offered to create a stroller to levitate up the steps to make taking her to classes easier. Every teacher that was at the school were notified of the new arrival and ensured the Headmaster and Harry there would be a child-safe area for Mercy to play in. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher wouldn't promise nor accept Mercy in the class, so Dumbledore offered to watch her for that period...Harry was still upset for what he did, but there was no other alternative.

Snape was...silent about the entire thing, he didn't say yes or no to her coming, but advised Harry, (more civil than Harry had ever seen him be) that there was plenty of dangerous aromas that could bloom from misbrewed potions therefore it wasn't safe in his class. So Dumbledore got to play babysitter for two classes.

It was a tough choice to let him watch Mercy, but if he wanted to make it up to Harry, he could at least give him a chance to do so. But the first wrong thing to happen, no more chances, also, Hagrid would have been his first pick, but he was not back to school as of yet.

Harry pulled a small dress with little butterflies decorating the skirt and a large glittering butterfly on the shirt. "What about this one?" asked Harry holding the outfit up against Mercy, it was just her size, if not slightly bigger. Mercy giggled and patted the butterfly.

"Yeah, I think so too..." said Harry with a smile. He placed the outfit in the cart he was pushing and continued looking for another one.

"How many outfits does a baby need?" said Remus.

"She's a girl! She has to look her best!" said Tonks looking adoringly at a pair of tiny shoes. "Harry, you _have _to get her these!" said Tonks picking up a pink pair of tennis shoes and a pair of black dress shoes with sparkling glitter bows on the toes.

"They're just too cute!" said Tonks squealing with glee.

"She doesn't even walk yet." said Remus looking at the shoes with a smile.

"Oh, she may start at the school..." said Harry taking both shoes and putting them in the cart. "She doesn't have a sleeper yet...uh...here we go...here's a kitty one...you like this one?" He extended it to the baby and Mercy tugged on it, feeling it against her skin.

"I'm taking that as a yes." said Harry with a smile. "Lets see...she's got plenty of day to day clothes...toys and books for right now, blankets, pacies, bottles...Let's head to that fabric store we passed."

"Why do you want to go to a fabric store, again?" asked Tonks.

"You'll see at some point." said Harry. "But I hope I haven't lost my touch."

Tonks looked confused.

As they walked around the fabric store, they saw Harry pick up soft fabric of various colors and styles, and textures.

"What's this for?" asked Remus.

"Well, I'm getting enough to make her a new one, but you'll see if I can get it done tonight." said Harry.

"I can't wait." said Tonks. "I want to finally know what the hippogriff you're talking about."

After dinner, Harry took Mercy into the parlor and began to cut and sew the fabric together. He only had the practice in making clothes for taking in most of Dudley clothes so they could fit his smaller frame. It shouldn't be too hard to make an outfit from scratch.

"I wonder what he's going to make?" said Tonks.

"He's not making an outfit, is he?" said Hermione. "He can't make clothes."

"He seems to think he can." said Remus.

"I can, at least little girl's clothes." said Harry's voice. He came into the room, with the his daughter in his arms. She wasn't wearing her usual plain pink onesy, this time, she was wearing a miniature Hogwarts uniform, with a gold and red bow in her hair.

"Oh! She looks so cute!" said Ginny smiling at the giggling baby.

"Seems she likes the color scheme." said Harry with a smile.

"Of course, she's a Potter...they all love gold and red." said Sirius picking the baby up and tossing her lightly in the air.

"She's all set for school, Remus, I'll leave my card with you, if I need anything for Mercy, I'll send you to the stores to get it." said Harry.

"Why not magical stuff?" asked Ron.

"Her mother was muggle...I don't want to just abandon her mother's world, I want to keep Mercy grounded in both." said Harry. "Though...taking her to a magical school for about two years of her life is anything but grounding her..."

* * *

><p>Finally the day came. Mercy was all washed, brushed and made absolutely adorable. They boarded the train, Ron and Hermione, both being Prefects, had to patrol the train and keep the students from hexing each other before they got to school. Harry held onto Mercy as he tried to find an empty compartment, gaining several confused looks as he walked past students his own age.<p>

"What's up with the baby?" asked one of them as they passed.

"She's a cutie though." said a girl as she gushed over the tiny baby.

"Pardon me." said Harry as he opened a door and people began to shift around him trying to find their own compartments.

He found one that was completely empty, allowing him to deposit Mercy's diaper bag and set up a small baby chair to sit and play in. Ginny came in behind him and sat in the same compartment to keep him company, but once the train ride started, company wasn't something he was lacking. Once all the girls heard that there was a baby on board, they flooded into the compartment and wanted to hold and play with her.

None of them mentioned if they believed Harry or not, they just wanted to hold the baby and dote on her shamelessly. After a while, Mercy was getting upset by being passed from one girl to the next and began to cry. Harry reached over and took her back into his arms.

"Come here, shortcake." said Harry. "Daddy's got you."

"Daddy?" asked a few of the girls together.

"You were passing her around and didn't ask who she was...she's my daughter." said Harry.

"...adopted?" said one of the girls.

"No...biological." said Harry.

"You..." said the girls, blushing slightly.

Harry placed his forehead on Mercy's and smiled. "Yup, she's my little girl..." said Harry with a smile.

A few girls continued blushed and gave a sigh and '_Aww_ed'.

"Uh...who's the mother?" asked one of the girls.

"...No one that goes to school here." said Harry softly. Mercy yawned and blinked her eyes slowly. "Someone's sleepy, can you all leave for a while, she needs to sleep."

"Aww..." said the girls once again, though this time, they were a little put out.

"She's going to be at school all year..." said Harry. "You'll have more than enough time to spoil her rotten for me."

The girls giggled and pooled out of the compartment and left Ginny and Harry to rock Mercy to sleep.

"Those girls were sure taken with Mercy." said Ginny. "I've only seen a few of them go gaga over a baby unicorn or kitten."

"Well, I can see why...she's like a little living doll they can play with." said Harry with a smile. Mercy rubbed her small fist in her eye and continued to sleep.

"I'm amazed that you let her be passed around like that." said Ginny. "Especially after what happened with Dumbledore."

"As long as she was fine with it...I don't want her upset if I'm not the one holding her all the time, I need a break too." said Harry.

"So you're trying to get her used to not having you around all the time?" said Ginny. "Pretty clever, Harry."

"Yeah, hopefully she'll be used to Dumbledore at least before my first Defense class, the teacher won't let her in there." said Harry.

"Stupid teacher." said Ginny.

"My feelings exactly." said Harry with a smile. "Put if she's not happy with her in there, I'm not going to push it. Last thing I need is someone to emotionally abuse her while she's still in diapers."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading, please review!<strong>

**Question of the chapter! It's close to Valentines Day..._What are you going to get YOUR __sweetheart? _**

**And if you don't have one..._What famous person would you love to have as your Valentine?_**

**Mine would have to be...well, if we are going to go with living...I'd have to say...Liam Neeson or Chuck Norris one of those two. **

**And if we are going with people of the past...Jeremy Brett. Definitely Jeremy Brett.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Whoo, it's a lucky thing that I managed to get this all done before I had to work. You know what would be kind of crazy? If unbeknownst to you and me, we had actually met up today? **

**I don't own Harry Potter. **

* * *

><p>They made their way into the Great Hall, Harry carried both Mercy and the diaper bag and took a seat towards the back of the Hall, away from the table and closest to the door to take Mercy out if she got fussy. Ginny took a seat beside Harry and helped set up Mercy's small baby seat.<p>

"Are you going to stay down here for the whole feast?" asked Ginny.

"No, I think I'm going to go to bed once the main course hits, I can't keep Mercy up as late as everyone else." said Harry. "Dumbledore set me up my own dorm in Gryffindor House so Mercy and I can sleep in the same room without waking anyone else up."

"Too bad, Ron was starting to get good at walking Mercy up and down the corridors at night." said Ginny.

"When did he do that?" asked Harry.

"When you two were separated." said Ginny. "Hermione and I would change the diapers and the boys would play with her...they'd take the fun jobs."

"Not surprising." said Harry as he took a few jars of mashed peas, applesauce and a small packet of cheerios. "I'm not waiting for the feast to start."

He began to spoon the food into Mercy's mouth. Ginny watched with wonder-filled eyes, Harry's normally serious set face was cracked into a joyful smile, his eyes were almost brimming with light and he seemed to radiate happiness.

He was a changed person...he was...happy...

"Hey! Trying to be antisocial?" said Fred.

"Now that's not fair, Unkie George and Unkie Fred want to play with the widdle babykins too!" said George nuzzling against Mercy's cheek. Mercy giggled loudly waved her hands in the air.

Ron and Hermione joined them down at the, Ron made faces to keep Mercy entertained as she took the food Harry gave her. People kept looking over at them, especially the baby in the high seat. No one came over to accost them, except for one...

"Where did the brat come from, Potter?" came a snarky voice from behind him.

Harry didn't even turn around, but smirked, "If your parents haven't told you by now, they'd better soon."

Draco turned a faint pink as the girls nearby began to giggle.

"So where does she come from Harry?" asked Neville.

"I'll tell you later." said Harry. "Come on, shortcake...a few more spoonfuls of peas and you can get some applesauce."

Draco watched as Harry fed the small infant in the chair. His face was blank. Without another word, he turned and went back to his own chair.

"Better keep an eye on Mercy." muttered Ron.

"I've got dozens of people in here not tearing their sight from over here, I've got plenty of help in that aspect. Now...if I can just get Mercy to finish this last spoonful." said Harry.

"Blrrrrbbb!" said Mercy sticking out her tongue and spraying Harry's glasses with the mashed peas.

"Not what I wanted you to do." said Harry as he took his glasses off his face to wipe them clean.

The people around laughed loudly, as well as Mercy. Harry put on a frown, but his eyes were shimmering mischievously. "Alright, I guess shortcake doesn't want any applesauce, shortcake must be full if she's giving me back the food..."

"Nah!" said Mercy waving over at the small bowl of applesauce.

"But you didn't finish your peas...doesn't that mean that baby is full?" said Harry teasingly.

"Mnyah!" squealed Mercy fussing loudly.

"Come here then..." said Harry. He picked Mercy up and held her in his arms. "Here's some applesauce."

"I'm sort of amazed that Mercy is eating mashed food already." said Hermione.

"Not really, Ginny and I were eating solid food after five months." said Ron.

"Wizarding babies tend to grow a little faster than muggle babies, they get their new teeth, hair and talk a lot sooner, we also live a lot longer." said Angelina.

"So that's why Mercy can eat mashed food already?" said Hermione.

"She still likes her bottle, Mrs. Weasley said that they don't outgrow that for a few more months." said Harry. "But I'm kind of sad that she's going to grow up really quick."

As the last few first years were being sorted, Harry gave Mercy her bottle.

"You might be able to enjoy dinner tonight." said Ginny.

"Not if Mercy becomes fussy, then I'm going to just take a few sandwiches with me and go to bed." said Harry. "I don't know if Mercy's going to like sleeping in a new place."

"She should be fine." said Fred as the last person was sorted.

Dumbledore stood up and held his hands up to silence the chatter.

"Alas, this year I may have to keep you waiting a bit longer for the delectable feast that awaits us. I have one pressing announcement to make. This year, and hopefully for a few years to come, we will have with us young Mercy. She will be residing in Gryffindor Tower..."

"Ahem." came a cough from the staff table. A witch with a wide mouth and slightly bulging eyes wearing a fluffy pink cardigan waved her hand. "Do you think this is wise..._Potter_...is in Gryffindor house."

"Which is precisely why she is going to stay in Gryffindor." said Dumbledore with a smile.

"I think she would be best taken care of in..." said the witch.

"I'm afraid that what can be done with Mercy, is not up to you." said McGonagall shortly.

"We shall see..." said the witch with a smirk.

"Who's Miss Personality?" asked Hermione.

"That's Madam Umbridge." said Ginny. "She's a real bitch. She's always putting down dad, not right out like Malfoy, but sort of subtly."

"Well, she can try all she likes to try and take Mercy, but I set some things in motion before I came to Grimmauld Place." said Harry with a sneer.

" What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"Oh...just something that might be labeled as a fail-safe, if even Dumbledore tried to take her from me permanently." said Harry.

"As I was saying, Miss Mercy will be residing in Gryffindor House and I hope that the rest of the school will treat her carefully. Now, since she has already preceded us in eating, let us all take in some repast." said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eyes. He clapped his hand and the tables became full of food of various types.

"Finally, I'm starving!" said Ron eagerly as he grabbed a few drumsticks.

"Really, you'd never realize that." said Hermione with a smirk.

Harry held onto Mercy and fed her a bottle full of warm milk, rocking her back and forth in his chair.

"She's so cute." said Katie cooing.

"I think I'm going to just take some food with me, she's going to need to be changed and then put to bed." said Harry. "She got up pretty early this morning."

He took a few pieces of fruit, a wrapped up slices of treacle and a few chicken legs in a conjured paper bag and began to walk out of the Great Hall.

"Hold on, Potter." said the sickening voice of Umbridge.

Harry turned to face the Head table, Snape was rolling his eyes, Flitwick was burying his face, Sprout was shaking her head and McGonagall was glaring at the woman.

"Can I help you ma'am?" said Harry politely.

"I think it would be safer for the infant if I were to take her." said Umbridge with a toad like smile.

"I don't think so." said Harry.

"Well, what you think, really has no weight here." said Umbridge, the smile still fixed on her face.

"Actually, what I says, in regards to Mercy, is law." said Harry with a smirk. "Night all."

And before she could even raise her wand to stop him, he closed the large of the Great Hall, and left with Mercy in his arms.

"What did he mean by that?" said Umbridge, her smile gone from her lips as she turned to address the head table.

"I think you'll find out for yourself." said McGonagall taking her wineglass in hand and smiling.

* * *

><p>Harry opened the door to his dorm, he found that the room was just the same as it always was, there was now a little door off to the side, with a small cartoonish lion cub with a little pink bow on it's head was playing on a multicolored ball.<p>

"Well, let's take a guess whose room that's supposed to be." said Harry with a smile down to the yawning infant. "Looks like someone is ready for bed."

He opened the door and saw a baby bassinet with little twinkling stars chiming against each other overhead. There were plenty of toys, stuffed animals, child storybooks, and even a nightlight in the corner, there was also a little changing table and rocking chair beside the window. On the other side of the room, there was a little porcelain wash basin for Harry to give Mercy a bath in. The teachers, Dumbledore and the house-elves must have gone all out getting this ready for Mercy. In the opposite corner, there was a large bed where Harry was to sleep, almost the same as the one in the dorms where he used to sleep.

"There you go sweetheart, you got a nice little nursery to play in." said Harry with a smile. He set her down in the playpen and took out all the clothes from her trunk and put them in the drawers. While he worked on organizing her things, Mercy played with the soft toys that were in the pen with her.

"There we go...you're all unpacked, let's give you a bath, put you into your sleeper and get you all ready for bed." said Harry as he picked up Mercy and placed her on the changing table.

"Mrrrrbbbbapple!" gurgled the baby happily.

"There we go." said Harry filled the basin with warm water. He tested the water and then placed Mercy gently inside. She began to smack the water with her hands and douse the man that was trying to give her a bath.

"Alright, alright, guess Daddy needs a bath too..." said Harry with a smile.

Once he was done, he wrapped Mercy in a fluffy pink towel. "All clean!"

"Abba Kee!" said Mercy happily.

"Already starting to talk like Daddy huh? Better not swear around you then." said Harry with a chuckle.

Harry then dressed Mercy in his little pink sleeper and carried her over to the rocking chair. "Now, do you want a lullaby or story?" mused Harry thoughtfully. He reached up and grabbed a thin book called Magical Nursery Tales: By Celestial Dall. "Let's read you a wizard nursery rhyme, never read one before myself."

Harry opened the book with Mercy in the crook of his other arm.

"Let's see...well...it's not Mother Goose..." said Harry.

_Fairy Light, Fairy Light. _

_Shine so bright throughout the night. _

_Fairy Light, Fairy Light_

_Make a wish, with all your might. _

_To come so true, this very night. _

Harry looked at the page adjacent to it and saw there was more text.

"Huh, look Mercy this rhyme has a story that goes with it." said Harry.

_There once was a pair of children, named Alder and Helena, and lived in a deep forest with their mother and father. They often would travel into the forest with their father and help him pick herbs for their mother's potions. Their father always told them to never stray from the path, if they lost it, they might never come out of the woods, so they were adamant about their father's words. _

_One day, their father became very ill, and the potion that they needed to make used an ingredient that they didn't have in their cupboard. Their mother didn't know what to do, she couldn't leave the potion, but someone needed to go and get the herb. _

"_Mother, we can go and get it!" said Helena._

"_We've seen Father go and gather herbs before." said Alder _

"_But this isn't like monkshood or wolfsbane, these are Fairy Tails" said their mother firmly. _

"_Fairy Tails?" asked Alder. _

"_It's an herb that grows deep in the forest, but it's not easy to find. It disappears and reappears every so often in a different place in the forest." said their mother. _

"_What do Fairy Tails look like?" asked Helena. _

"_They're small, about the size of your finger, and they grow on the side of trees. You'll know them when you see them, they glow a bright blue when the light doesn't hit them. But you'll need to pick them quick when you see them." said their mother. _

"_Because they'll disappear?" said Helena._

"_Because if any other creature sees them, they'll eat them. Fairy Tails are very sweet and animals love to eat them, and if a fairy should come across them, they'll take all of them and you won't be able to see them in another spot in the forest for weeks." said their mother. "Find them before anything else does." _

"_But the sun is shining mother, how are we going to be able to see them faster if it's sunny outside?" asked Alder._

"_Take this with you, it'll make the area around you dark for a few moments. You'll be able to see it easier with this, but remember, the animals don't need darkness to see it, they can smell it. Now, go, before your father gets any worse." said their mother as she handed them a small red velvet pouch. "And here's some food and water if you get hungry or thirsty. Be back before nightfall, I don't want you children in the woods after dark." _

_The children then left the house, while their mother took care of the potion and their father. _

"_Alder, I'm scared, we've never been in the woods without father." said Helena. looking worriedly at the fearsome looking forest. _

"_Don't worry, we'll find that Fairy Tails herb and we'll be back before dark." said Alder. _

_For hours they looked in the forest, but they couldn't find a single trace of the Fairy Tail herb. The sun was beginning to finally set into the west, and Helena wanted to go back home and try again the next day. _

_'Come on Alder, we need to get home." said Helena. _

"_Just a little longer, if we wait for it to get a little darker, we'll be able to see the herb's easier." said Alder. _

"_But mother said...wait...what was that?" said Helena pointing to a darker section of the woods. _

_There was a glint of blue light in the distance. _

"_That's it!" said Alder racing off to get the herb. _

"_But Alder! The path!" said Helena chasing after her brother..._

Harry looked down at the sleeping bundle in his arms. He stood up and placed her carefully in the bassinet.

"Good night shortcake." said Harry. "We'll finish the story another night." He leaned over the bassinet and kissed his daughter goodnight. He turned and sat back down in the rocking chair and kept a silent vigil over his daughter.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Please review!<strong>

**Question of the Chapter: Let's see, _What is the one show that is your guilty pleasure? _Guilty pleasure as in, it may be aimed for little kids or the show itself is just so stupid you don't know why you watch it all the time? Mine...ooh...gotta be fair and put it out there or no one else will...I like that show Sophia the First. I KNOW IT'S PRESCHOOL ORIENTATED, but the show is just so cute and I'm a sucker for the voice of King Roland- Travis Willingham.**


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